Uncapped all-rounder Mihlali Mpongwana has been selected in South Africa's squad for their T20I series against India. Here's all you need to know about the 24-year-old.
Mpongwana is part of a 16-member squad who will face India in four T20Is beginning on Friday, November 8. He is one of two players in the squad yet to make their debuts for the Proteas, alongside Andile Simelane.
While Mpongwana hasn't made a South Africa XI so far, he was in their Test squad which toured New Zealand earlier this year. The squad for that series didn't feature most of South Africa's star players, who were playing in the SA20. Mpongwana has not featured in the franchise tournament, but did play in the recently concluded CSA T20 Challenge.
A right-arm pace bowler, Mpongwana forced his way into the Test squad with some strong performances in domestic competitions. He was the joint-third-highest wicket-taker in South Africa's provincial one-day tournament, taking 12 wickets in seven matches at 17.33, and also scored a century from Western Province in the final of that competition.
Late last year, he was part of South Africa's A squad which played a first-class series against the West Indies. He was also part of the South Africa A squad which faced Sri Lanka A in September of this year, but found limited success during the series.
He also won praise from Aiden Markram, who will captain South Africa in the T20I series against India. "He is a young guy and he thinks about the game in a great way," Markram said of Mpongwana. "He is pretty street-wise when it comes to his plans and adapting to conditions."
Mpongwana's selection at this point has come off the back of his performance in the CSA T20 Challenge. He finished as the joint-second-leading wicket-taker in the competition, tied with four players who took 12 wickets, his coming at 14.08 apiece. He will join a revamped Proteas bowling attack which will include Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee who both return to the squad for the first time since June and May respectively.
After the first T20I in Kingsmead, the second match will be played in Port Elizabeth, with the third and fourth at Centurion and Johannesburg respectively.
Image credit: Instagram / @mihlali_clint_mpongwana47
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